Running
by HisElement
Summary: ’’She was running through the corridors she hadn’t seen since childhood, when she was innocent and naïve, when she wandered into the castle marveling on how it could be hers one day.’’ Angsty Maiko drabble.


**A/N:** Drabble requested from Gigirl942 at the DH Forums. Very short and angsty Maiko drabble. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Running**

She's running. She's running as fast as she can. Running through the corridors she hadn't seen since childhood, when she was innocent and naïve, when she wandered into the castle marveling on how it could be hers one day. If only she'd known. She's still running as she enters an open area, the gardens. She wants to stop but knows she can't. It brings her joyful memories, probably the only joyful ones she has. She can see the fountain, dirty and broken in several pars, not the magnificent piece of art it used to be. As she leaves the gardens, she gets a last glance at that fountain. She could have sworn there was an apple floating there.

She ignores these thoughts and continues running. She's entering that corridor now. The one that leads to the gigantic door, the one that is always guarded by Fire Nation soldiers, no excemptions. She prepares her knives as she comes near the corner. She's ready to attack. But there's no one there, not today. Today, she's alone. She finally reaches that huge door she remembered so well. She stands in front of it for a moment, panting and sweating.

_Mai was running. She was running through the corridors of the Fire Lord's Palace. She's thirteen, and she's running. She finally reaches the gigantic door that leads to the Agni Kai Arena. Two soldiers stop her from entering, and she screams and shouts and swears and cries, but they won't let her in. And then she hears his scream, that horrible scream, and she falls to her knees and cries. And they still won't let her in._

She pushes the door open, ready to face him.

Her scream could be heard throughout the entire castle, but there was no one to listen. Not today. Zuko laid there, on the floor, several parts of his body burnt and many others scratched and bruised. She was paralyzed. She could see _him_ too. He was looking at her, his eyes laughing at her. He knew she loved him.

She rushed to Zuko's side, not caring what Ozai would do to her. She placed his hand in hers as tears trailed down her face. She whispered in his ear that she loved him. She told him she always had, ever since the first time she'd seen him. She asked him if he remembered when they'd fallen together in that fountain, and giggled as she remembered it herself. She even asked him if he knew the meaning of apples.

But he didn't answer.

She was still crying and whispering occasionally in his ear secrets she had never told anyone before when she felt _him_ move closer to her. She'd almost forgotten he was there. She turned her attention back to Zuko, a smile delicately forming in her face. She straightened his hair with her hand gently, carefully. He looked so fragile. She leaned in and brushed her lips ever so softly against his cold ones. She gave him a last look, her eyes tracing over his features hoping to never forget him. And she knew she wouldn't.

She turned back to _him_, to his murderer. Her eyes narrowed at his amused smile. She would surely die. She launched at him, her blades out and ready to cut through his skin. Vengeance. But she was too slow for him. In one swift movement, he grasped her arm and stopped her assault. She gasped at his touch, he was so _cold_. He started twisting her arm, smirking. The pain shot through her arm and spread throughout her body. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, retaining tears. She gasped as his hand suddenly started emanating heat, and became hotter, _hotter_. She couldn't take it anymore. She felt the metallic taste of blood in her lips as she bit her lowe lip harder. She couldn't restrain the tears anymore. She couldn't hold back that one last scream _(his scream, his horrible scream)_ as her eyes rolled back and she fell to the floor, fainted from the intense pain. The last thing she saw was his face, his sick pleasure in seeing her twisting in pain. Wherever she went from now on, that face would hunt her. It would remind her he was gone, why he was gone, that she hadn't run faster, that she hadn't been stronger. That she hadn't had the guts to tell him earlier, when he still could listen.

She never woke up.


End file.
